---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 18:03:29 +0000
From: "Nikolai S. Rozov <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: (Fwd) ReORIENT book announcement
ReORIENT: GLOBAL ECONOMY IN THE ASIAN AGE
by Andre Gunder Frank
University of California Press, 400 pp
ISBN 0-520-21474-9 paper US$ 19.95
ISBN 0-520-21129-4 cloth US$ 55.00
ORDER: California-Princeton Fulfillment Services
1445 Lower Fery Road, Ewing, NJ 08618
Author's Abstract, Referee's Comments, and Table of Contents follow below
A Debate about the thesis of this book and its challenge of that of
David Landes THE WEALTH AND POVERTY OF NATIONS [Norton 1998]
is on-going during May 1998 simultaneously on 4 e-mail discussion nets
and may be found on:
H-World [history], H-Asia [history], Econ-hist [economic history], and
WSN [World Systems Network]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andre Gunder Frank
University of Toronto
96 Asquith Ave Tel. 1 416 972-0616
Toronto, ON Fax. 1 416 972-0071
CANADA M4W 1J8 Email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
My home Page is at: http://www.whc.neu.edu/whc/resrch&curric/gunder.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
R e O R I E N T :
G L O B A L E C O N O M Y I N T H E A S I A N A G E
[University of California Press, May/June 1998]
by
Andre Gunder Frank
AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT
This book outlines and analyzes the global economy and its sectoral
and regional division of labor and cyclical dynamic from 1400 to
1800. The evidence and argument are that within this global economy
Asians and particularly Chinese were preponderant, no more
"traditional" than Europeans, and in fact largely far less so. The
historical documentation poses an 'emperor has no clothes' challenge
to all received Eurocentric historiography and social theory from
Montesquieu, Marx and Weber, or Toynbee and Polanyi, to Rostow,
Braudel and Wallerstein. The books's global economic analysis offers
a more holistic theoretical alternative. 'The Rise of the West' was
not due to any 'European Miracle exceptionalism' that allegedly
permitted it to pull itself up by its own bootstraps as Weberians
have contended. Nor did Europe build a 'European world-economy around
itself" a la Braudel and thereby as per Marx and Wallerstein [as well
as my own WORLD ACCUMULATION 1492-1789] initiating a European
centered 'Modern Capitalist World-System' primarily by exploiting the
wealth of its American and African colonies. Instead, Europe used its
American silver to buy itself marginal entry into the long since
existing world market in Asia, which was much larger, more productive
and competitive, continued to expand much faster until 1800, and was
able to support a rate of population growth in Asia that was than
double that of Europe until 1750. Then changing world economic/
demographic/ ecological relations and relative factor prices in the
competitive global economy resulted in the temporary 'Decline of the
East' and the opportunity for the also temporary 'The Rise of the
West'. Europe took advantage of this world economic opportunity
through import substitution, export promotion and technological
change to become Newly Industrializing Economies after 1800, as is
again happening today in East Asia. That region is now REgaining its
'traditional' dominance in the global economy, with the Chinese
'Middle Kingdom' again at its 'center.'
PUBLISHER REFEREES SUMMARIES & EVALUATIONS
Frank gained his world wide fame by making an argument that caused a
revolution in thinking about Third World Development. Well, the same
thing is about to happen again, except this time the stakes are much
higher. Now it is the theories of the endogenous nature of change in
the West that is being challenged. The Wallersteinian world economy
did not give rise to the world-system, Frank argues, but the
Afroeurasian world system gave rise to the European world economy. To
correct the historical fact is to challenge the theoretical
scaffolding of everyone from Marx to Weber to Braudel to Wallerstein.
Frank's point is that they simply got it wrong. [He] turns on their
heads many of the received assumptions about the origin of the modern
world system/economy. The book is that conceptually important.
- ALBERT BERGESEN, University of Arizona
The book moves to argue that almost all received social theory is
wrong, since it a) directs our attention to supposedly unique
features of European society that were actually neither very unusual
nor of much importance in explaining the divergent development paths,
and b) directs our attention away from [these and to] attempting
analysis at the global level, which the author claims is by far the
most illuminating place to look for explanations of what may at first
seem like regional differences. This will be an extremely important
book of sufficient originality and importance ... at the intersection
of several important literatures [to] have a major impact. It could
not be more ambitious.
- KENNETH POMERANZ University of California at Irvine
This is a bold new interpretation that creates a distinctive argument
to explain Europe's post-1800 successes. The author places his
argument in an even longer-run perspective to suggest that Europe's
'rise' may be just a temporary one bracketed on either side by eras
of Asian dominance. It departs from virtually all other 'global' or
'world' system perspectives by arguing that Europe was not the
central location of economic dynamism in the early modern world
(1400-1800) and therefore that 'capitalism' was not a unique cultural
phenomenon that can explain the differential economic success of
Europe over Asia. The author redefines our baseline for assessing the
'rise' of Europe. I believe this book could become a benchmark
study.
- BIN WONG University of California at Irvine
The book is a plea for global studies as a general historical
proposition, notably the argument of the centrality of Asia for the
period 1400-1800, and the rejection of the entire Eurocentric
analysis of incorporation, 1500 and all that. This can be a landmark
book that shapes substantially the scholarship and understanding of
the next generation of researchers. It should have an immediate
impact.
- MARK SELDEN State University of New York
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Preface
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION TO REAL WORLD HISTORY VS. EUROCENTRIC SOCIAL THEORY
HOLISTIC METHODOLOGY AND OBJECTIVES
GLOBALISM, NOT EUROCENTRISM
CHAPTER OUTLINE OF A GLOBAL ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE
ANTICIPATING AND CONFRONTING RESISTANCE AND OBSTACLES
Chapter 2:
THE GLOBAL TRADE CAROUSEL 1400-1800
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD ECONOMY
Thirteenth and Fourteenth Century Antecedents
The Columbian Exchange and its Consequences
Some Neglected Features in the World Economy
WORLD DIVISION OF LABOR AND BALANCES OF TRADE 1400-1800
Mapping the Global Economy
The Americas
Africa
Europe
West Asia
- The Ottoman Empire
- Safavid Persia
India and the Indian Ocean
- North India
- Gujarat and Malabar
- Coromandel
- Bengal
Southeast Asia
- Archipellago and Insular
- Continental
Japan
China
- Population, Production, Trade
- China in the World Economy
Central Asia
Russia and the Baltics
A Sino-Centric World Economy Summary
Chapter 3:
MONEY WENT AROUND THE WORLD AND MADE THE WORLD GO ROUND
WORLD MONEY: ITS PRODUCTION AND EXCHANGE
Micro- and Marco- Attractions in the World Casino
Dealing and Playing in the Casino
The Numbers Game
- Silver
- Gold
- Credit
HOW DID THE WINNERS USE THEIR MONEY?
Spenders vs Hoarders
Inflation or Production in the Quantity Theory of Money
Money Expanded the Frontiers of Settlement and Production
Chapter 4:
THE GLOBAL ECONOMY: COMPARISONS AND RELATIONS
QUANTITIES:POPULATION,PRODUCTION,PRODUCTIVITY,
INCOME, TRADE
Population, Production and Income
Productivity and Competitiveness
World Trade 1400-1800
QUALITIES: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Eurocentrism Regarding Science and Technology in Asia
Guns
Ships
Printing
Textiles
Metallurgy, Coal and Power
Transport
World Technological Development
MECHANISMS: ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
European - Asian Comparisons
Global Institutional Relations
--In India
--In China
Chapter 5
HORIZONTALLY INTEGRATIVE MACROHISTORY
SIMULTANEITY IS NO COINCIDENCE
DOING HORIZONTALLY INTEGRATIVE MACROHISTORY
Demographic/Structural Analysis
A "Seventeenth Century Crisis"?
Monetary Analysis and the Crises of 1640
Kondratieff Analysis
The 1762-1790 Kondratieff "B" Phase Crisis and Recessions
More Horizontally Integrative Macrohistory?
Chapter 6
WHY DID THE WEST WIN [TEMPORARILY] ?
UP AND DOWN THE LONG CYCLE ROLLICOASTER?
THE DECLINE OF THE EAST PRECEDED THE RISE OF THE WEST
The Decline in India
The Decline Elsewhere in Asia
HOW DID THE WEST RISE?
Climbing Up on Asian Shoulders
Supply and Demand for Technological Change in the World Economy
Supplies and Sources of Capital
A GLOBAL ECONOMIC/DEMOGRAPHIC ACCOUNTING FOR
THE DECLINE OF THE EAST AND THE RISE OF THE WEST
A Demographic Economic Model
A High-Level Equilibrium Trap?
The Evidence 1500-1750
The 1750 Inflection
Past Conclusions and Future Implications
Chapter 7
HISTORIOGRAPHIC CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS
HISTORIOGRAPHIC CONCLUSIONS: THE EUROCENTRIC EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES
1. The Asiatic Mode of Production [AMP]
2. European Exceptionalism
3. A European World-System or a Global Economy?
4. 1500: Continuity or Break?
5. Capitalism?
6. Hegemony?
7. The Rise of the West and the Industrial Revolution
8. Empty Categories and Procustean Beds
THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS:THROUGH THE GLOBAL LOOKING GLASS
1. Holism vs. Partialism
2. Commonality/Similarity vs. Specificity/Difference
3. Continuity vs. Dis-continuities
4. Horizontal Integration vs. Vertical Separation
5. Cycles vs. Linearity
6. Agency vs. Structure
7. Europe in a World Economic Nutshell
8. Jihad vs. McWorld in the Anarchy of the Clash of Civilizations?
REFERENCES
INDEX
